Last Updated on March 6, 2024
Inclusivity isn’t always something that happens naturally within organizations, no matter how hard you may try. Creating an inclusive workplace takes a lot of work and effort from everyone. To be inclusive, you can’t just create office buzz or start an accountability checklist. Inclusivity is something that must be felt by the entire organization, and you can’t force a feeling. But just because you can’t force inclusivity doesn’t mean that you can’t encourage it.
By teaching inclusivity and improving awareness, you can encourage employees to be more inclusive toward one another and in everything that they do. Here are five ways to inspire your employees to be inclusive.
Invite Guest Speakers to Company Events
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become increasingly important over the last several years. The general idea of inclusion has been important for a long time. However, companies of all sizes are beginning to place a larger emphasis on it. Organizations are realizing that they need to host seminars, workshops, or even hire someone to exclusively focus on DEI.
A great way to inspire inclusivity amongst employees is by inviting a DEI speaker to a company event. Speakers are passionate and offer tangible advice for how individuals can be changemakers in their organizations. By sharing personal stories and experiences, they can often make the importance of equity click. If you want to spark change for your employees and initiate real change, a speaker is a great place to start.
Recognize the Differences Among All
Yes, equal treatment for all is extremely important. Inclusion means that everyone has the same opportunities to contribute and advance within the organization. But a big misunderstanding is that diversity, equity, and inclusion only aims to make everyone seen as equal. It’s not just about treating everyone the same. It’s also about recognizing our differences and celebrating them.
Recognizing the differences among all employees requires various efforts. First, make sure you’re recognizing holidays of all cultures. Additionally, make sure employees feel safe and comfortable celebrating what makes them unique. Make it easy for them to join employee resource groups (ERGs). Although ERGs might sound divisive at first, they’re actually great for encouraging open conversation and bringing people together. If employees feel accepted by their peers, they will feel more inclined to be inclusive toward everyone.
Make Sure Everyone Feels Represented
Most people don’t want to work for an organization where they don’t feel represented. If team members don’t feel represented, you certainly can’t expect to build a culture and mindset of inclusivity. People at the top must be diverse and embody the idea of inclusivity. If you aren’t starting at the top, you’ll only create division amongst your workforce.
Look at your leadership team first. Does it reflect those who are working at the company on all levels? If people are coming to work every day and don’t feel like they belong, they aren’t going to want to work there. When people feel a sense of belonging, they’re more likely to be inclusive toward everyone. It all starts at the top and everything trickles down. Show that you care about hiring a diverse workforce and your employees will see and feel it.
Plan DEI Trainings and Workshops
To continuously encourage inclusion requires continuous learning; otherwise, inclusivity won’t be top-of-mind for employees. Training and workshops can be great opportunities for your employees to learn how diversity and inclusivity impact the workplace. There are so many topics you could cover. Do your employees know the difference between diversity and inclusion? Is everyone aligned with the company goals and values as they relate to diversity and inclusion?
Start with higher-level topics to get everyone aligned first, then focus on sessions that cover more granular topics. Perhaps you can plan a workshop that teaches employees soft skills for how to thrive in a diverse work environment. Maybe host a training session that helps employees understand the stereotypes and biases they may be subconsciously carrying with them.
Plan Fun Events Focused On Inclusivity
Training and workshops are important, but it’s equally as important to get your workers together and interacting with one another. Only then will you truly understand if your DEI efforts are working. Something as small as a team lunch or a conference can encourage employees of different backgrounds to spend time together.
Events can also be larger with the intent of actually celebrating diversity and inclusion. For example, during Pride Month, host a fun event after work one day. Speakers can talk about their experience in the LGBTQ+ community and you can point employees to additional resources for learning purposes. When you’re encouraging employees to get to know one another in a setting that celebrates diversity, it’s a win-win.
Inclusion can’t be forced, but as it becomes more prevalent, organizations everywhere are learning that it must be taught. Whether leadership is trying to be more inclusive or events and trainings are being planned, the efforts should never stop. To become a workplace that has diversity and inclusivity embedded into its culture requires continuous planning and ongoing efforts. It can feel like a lot of work at times, but the work is always worth it.